Simply Cook

Back in August I received an email from Simply Cook tempting me back to them with a half price box.  I had ordered myself a cook box back in April, however by the time it had arrived I had already received my results from my food intolerance test.  Each and every single recipe that was sent to me contained either garlic, chilli, ginger or meat stock – none of which I was able to use!  I gifted the box to a friend, and had accepted the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.  Now that I’ve started introducing garlic and chilli back into my diet (I tried yeast, and it’s definitely a no go) I am now able to try out all of the lovely recipes that I had been sent out previously. 

Simply cook send you out a variety of different recipes, flavourings and spices every week, fortnight or monthly depending on your preference.  Each box costs just £8.95, which makes each meal pack just £2.23 (excluding anything you might need to pick up at the shop like veggies, chicken or pasta).  They normally do special offers on their boxes from time to time, however they offer a friend scheme for customers who are already signed up.  You can get your first box for £1 by using my name – lauren mcghee – in the promo code box, or clicking the link here https://simplycook.mention-me.com/m/ol/avm-lauren-mcghee-2

In my box I was sent a spicy vegetable stew, a Thai green curry, a spicy rice dish and a chorizo pasta dish.  Seeing as I’m vegetarian, I gifted the chorizo pasta dish to my dad, who cooked up a storm with it and told me it was amazing!  So good in fact, that mum decided to follow the same recipe guide – however adapted it completely to make it vegan.  She even made her own home made pepperoni for it!

So far I’ve made the spicy vegetable stew and the Thai green curry – both of which have been amazing!  The recipe cards come with a short and sweet shopping list for the extra bits that you’ll need to buy for each dish, you simply tear it off and take it with you to the supermarket, it’s really easy.  I made the Thai green curry dish for me and my boyfriend, and so had to prepare and cook them separately as he eats meat.  Despite this, the prep and cooking time was not hindered in the slightest, all it meant was two pans and splitting the flavourings.  Even though both dishes had half the spices it should have done, they were so strong and powerful that everything tasted simply delicious – it was really, really good!  The  whole meal only took about 30 minutes to prepare and cook, which was really surprising to me seeing as I don’t normally cook from scratch and following recipes normally means that I have to add an extra 20 minutes if not longer. 

I’m so super impressed the simplicity, easiness and taste of the simply cook dishes that I will definitely be ordering again!  The one thing I will tell you to look out for is the ingredients list, unfortunately you can only filter out the fish dishes and not all the meat ones, so if there is a dish you really like the look of double check that it is one you can actually eat.

What's your favourite dish to cook from scratch?

 Until the next one, 

Bakedin Gluten Free Brownie Mug

At the end of July I came across a fab brand called Bakedin – they create the perfect mixes for all sorts of baked goodies and send them out to you in the post for you to make at home.  I added them to my August lust list after discovering that they had gluten free mixes that can easily adapted to be made dairy free too.  I was just about to place my order on their website, when I received my Vegan Tuck Box (post to come soon) which featured one of these brownie mug mixes!  As you can imagine I was pretty excited, so I decided to leave my actual order until I had tried this one out.

Now mug mixes are easy, they don’t take much time or effort and they usually turn out pretty good.  Bakedin mug cakes are AMAZING – they take legit two minutes in total to put together and cook, and they taste FANTASTIC!  It really is so super easy, you simply melt the butter for 10 seconds, throw in the powdered mix and the splash of milk (I used plant based alternatives for both) mix together and put it in the microwave for one minute.  That’s it!  Leave to cool for a few minutes and tada – you’ve got yourself a pretty damn good dessert ready to tuck in to.

No big messes needed with Bakediin like one!

The mix turns into a delicious sponge – it’s so good that you couldn’t even tell that it was diary or gluten free.  There are no clumpy bits throughout like there normally tends to be in your regular mug cakes – just tasty spongey goodness.  The mix creates the perfect sized cake, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth but not enough to make you feel sick afterwards or feel the need to leave any.  Every mouthful is as yum as the last one, and you find little chocolate chunks throughout the sponge which adds to the indulgence of the cake.  It’s honestly so good that it’s hard to believe that this was a quick mix fix.

I am absolutely delighted that I got to try this in my Vegan Tuck box this month, I am so in love with the gluten free brownie mug cake – and can’t wait till pay day to place my order for a pack!   I think I’m going to treat myself to one of the gluten free brownie mixes too, just because I’ve got the feeling that it’s going to be equally as good.

Have you tried out any of the Bakedin mug cakes yet?

Until the next one,

August Lust List

So July was a pretty busy and rather expensive month.  Hulk needed a vet check that ended up costing a small fortune, it was brought to my attention that I was driving around with an illegal tyre – goodbye fitty dollars – and then I had three birthdays to fund.  That being said, I decided that my vegan subscription box could wait till this month (I can’t wait for it to come now though!) and decided to skip the Nakd delivery too.  It’s hard to believe that we are now in August – where had this year gone?” – and now that most of the birthdays are done for the year (there is still two to go for me) it’s time to start thinking about Christmas as I’ve lots of people to get for.  This month I have a few bits that I’ve had my eyes on for a while now, which I’ll hopefully be able to pick up throughout the month.

Beauty Box

I’ve been fancying treating myself to a beauty box for quite some time now, however over these last few months I’ve noticed lot a beauty bloggers posting about how they’ve not been overly impressed by some of the more popular boxes.  After doing my own research, I discovered You Beauty and Love Me Beauty – both reasonably priced boxed with a difference – if you’re quick enough, you get to choose what items you receive in your boxes.  Since going cruelty free though, it’s been a tough one trying to find a month when the boxes contain a good selection of suitable brands.  August looks like it could be the one though for both – so now I’ve just the decision to decide on what one I want.  Watch this space…

Multipurpose Balm

You’ve heard me whine and whine again about my dry lips and sore skin around my mouth – so this month I’m determined to find something that is going to solve the problem once and for all!  It popped up on my Facebook ads that Dr Pawpaw were on special offer in Superdrug, so naturally this is one I’m considering as I’ve heard great things about this cruelty free balm.  It’s also been suggested to me several times that I give the Lush Ultrbalm a go, as again they say it works wonders on dry skin, sore lips and simply just tired skin.  This is another strong contender as let’s face it, I do enjoy a Lush trip.  The final one I’ve seen throughout this last month was actually one featured in the Love Me Beauty Box, is the Dr Lipp balm.  Although I’ve not heard so much about this particular one, the website suggests that it does exactly what I’m looking for.  Stay tuned, as I’m going to make sure that this is the month that my lips stop hurting once and for all!

Bakedin

After one of my favourite bloggers posted online several weeks back that they had received a lovely selection of mug cakes from a company called Bakedin, I was very much interested to see what it was all about.  I thought it would make a lovely and quirky present for a couple of people, but didn’t have much hope in finding anything that would be gluten and dairy free.  I was pleasantly surprised though when I came across a gluten free brownie cake mix and mug cakes!  After an email questioning if the recipes could be adapted to dairy free alternatives – they got back to me very promptly confirming that it should work with no real problems.  I think I’m going to try out the mug cakes first, so fingers crossed everything turns out fabulously!

What are you treating yourself too this month?

Until the next one,

A Nutritional Update

Some of you might remember that back in April I went to see a nutritionist in regards to my eczema.  My skin was particularly bad at the time, however certainly not as bad as it was here.  As we are approaching August, and I’m now onto my fourth month of my new diet, I thought I’d share with you my progress and how I’ve been getting on!

Yeast, gluten, dairy, chilli, ginger and garlic were all eliminated from my diet for a minimum of six weeks – you can read more about it here – in order to give my skin and body a chance to detox from the bacteria’s causing my problems.  I won’t lie, it was really tough for the first week, I ate around 30 eggs over breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks!  After that though, I found a lot of new things to try, and got myself into a pretty consistent routine.  Breakfast was a nutrigrain style Weetabix with plant based milk or a gluten free granola with Alpro yoghurt.  Lunch was either an omelette/hard boiled eggs with baked beans or a bowl of gluten free pasta.  Then for tea it tended to vary from an omelette, pasta or a tortilla pizza!  Hard boiled eggs were often a snack of choice as they are super easy and quick to prepare, as well as being rather filling and healthy! 

For a while I found it really hard to find things to snack on between meals, as I used to be the type of person who would reach for a bag of crisps or a bar of chocolate – no matter what time of day it was.  Now however I know I can go for foods that are not only tasty, but pretty heathy and filling too.  Nakd bars, Pulsin brownies and Kettle Chips have been my snacks of choice as of late due to their convenience and special offers!  I felt really restricted when I first started my diet, as I went from being able to eat whatever I wanted whenever to being very much limited on a day to day basis.  I now know that there is just as much that I can eat and enjoy as there is that I cannot! 

Since having switched up my diet, I have seen a huge improvement in my overall health, not just my skin.  My eczema has improved tremendously, and although it has flared up a little on my hands right now – this normally happens when the weather goes from one extreme to another.  When my diet was mostly rubbish based, I would often take a nap during the day as I would get quite tired around 3pm.  I can now function like a normal person from 6am – 11pm without a nap, which is a massive improvement as I can actually do things after work and with my evenings!

I no longer need a nap before my evening walk with Hulk!

Finally, the results that I have been most pleased with is my stomach.  I no longer feel bloated on a day to day basis.  I no longer need to eat and eat and eat to feel full, and I’ve lost around about a stone – solely from switch around my diet, which no extra exercise, which is amazing!

Of course this is all still a work in progress, however I’m absolutely delighted with all of my results.  I feel a whole lot healthy on the inside and out - and would very much recommend a visit to a nutritionist if you feel that your diet could be improved, but you don’t know how to go about it.  If you stay in or around Aberdeenshire, I would highly recommend using Nourishing Insights, as Beverly has been great helping not only me but also my brother and boyfriend too!  You can read all about the work they do here.

What’s the best thing you’ve done for yourself that has changed your life completely?

Until the next one,

Little Indulgences

Over the last couple of months I’ve been discovering a lot of tasty goodies in my local supermarkets that I wish I had known about my whole life! From potential healthy snacks to just general treats –these have since become my favourite go to goodies during my trips to the supermarket. 

Free From Fellows

Spied in Home Bargains, these fantastic little jelly sweets were sold to me from the moment I first set my eyes on them.   What drew me in was the name of course, after having changed up my diet back in April.  Free from what though, exactly?  Dairy, gluten, sugar and gelatine – as well as avoiding any product that comes from animals.  Not only are these bad boys suitable for vegetarians, they are also vegan too – meaning that myself, my brother and my mum can all enjoy them!  Best of all though, they actually taste really good.  The cola bottles taste just like actual cola bottles, the gummy bears are super fruity and delicious, and the berries are super chewy and yum – just the way gummy sweets should be!  Before becoming a vegetarian, Haribo used to be my favourite sweeties ever – so it makes me really happy when I can find the perfect alternatives to my old favourites.  Since discovering them, my local store has stopped taking them in!  This makes me super sad, however I will hopefully be reunited with these lovely treats once again.

Pulsin Brownie Bars

Holy mother of mackerel… have you ever tasted something so, so good that is relatively healthy and makes you question all of the bad stuff you’ve put into your body eating the alternative versions?!  Because that is exactly what eating this brownie makes me do every time.  Created out of mainly cashews, dates, raw cacao, raisins and almonds these delicious bars create the most perfect brownies – other than my mothers real ones, ya feel me?!  Super softy, chewy and delicious, these bars really do hit the spot for when you fancy something indulgent but don’t feel like being naughty.  I first discovered them back in April when Aldi did their gluten free week.  Gluten, Dairy, Soya free and suitable for vegans, these really are great for people in general, no matter what diet preference you follow! 

Fruit YoYos

Being a sucker for a fruity treat on occasion, I have been struggling to find goodies that are suitable for my diet (and waistline!)  I love jelly tots but I know they’re full of sugars so I’ve been trying to keep them as an occasional treat.

My dad bought these several months back for my little brothers packed lunches, and when they sat for weeks on end because no one was interested, I decided to give them a go! 

Made from 100% fruit and contributing to one of your five a day per pack, these tasty yo yos have sorted out my sweet tooth on more than one occasion as of late.  My favourite flavours being the Apple, Strawberry and Mango ones, I usually pick up one of each from my local supermarket when they’re on a 3 for £1.20 deal or similar. Yum, yum, yum!

What’s your favourite thing to snack on when you’re feeling indulgent?

Until the next one,